Mantra Meditation

Jewish Meditation / zie boek

~Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan 

The best-known form of meditation today is mantra meditation. The word "mantra" is an Eastern term denoting a word or phrase that is repeated over and over as a meditative exercise. In many types of Eastern meditation, mantra meditation is the central exercise, and it forms virtually the entire basis of Transcendental Meditation. Since there is no adequate generic Western term for this type of meditation, I shall use the Eastern term "mantra."

One immediate effect of mantra meditation is to relax the body. In this form of meditation, it seems that the more the body relaxes, the more active the mind becomes. It is as if energy is released by the body, which can be used by the mind. In any case, meditation, especially using a mantra, is an excellent relaxation method. For this reason, a number of psychologists have developed religiously neutral forms of mantra meditation to elicit the "relaxation response." An entire system called Standardized Clinical Meditation (SCM) has been developed to utilize this form of meditation in a clinical context.

Mantra meditation most probably works largely through habituation. If a person is in a room all day with, say, a loudly ticking clock, his mind eventually turns off the sound of the ticking. Although he hears the ticking, it simply does not register. The person is said to have become habituated to the ticking sound, so that he no longer pays attention to it. This is an important mechanism through which the mind filters out the commonplace and allows the thinker to concentrate on what is important. When one repeats a mantra over and over, the mind also becomes habituated to it. Eventually, one becomes able to say it without the words registering in the conscious mind. By this time, one has also formed the habit of erasing all thought from the mind while reciting the mantra. It is therefore a highly effective psychological means of removing all thought from the mind. This may seem quite mundane and nonmystical. However, the mantra does not necessarily have to be the mystical element in the meditation. The mantra can serve as a means of clearing the mind of mundane thought, leaving it open to other, transcendental experiences. This can be true no matter how nonmystical the mantra is. Indeed, in certain types of clinical meditation, a nonsense word can be used as the mantra.

Nevertheless, if the mantra has spiritual power in its own right, it not only clears the mind of mundane thought, but also puts the meditator into a special spiritual space. The form of the mantra can be extremely important if one wishes to accomplish a specific spiritual goal in one's meditation. Although mantra meditation is not the most typical Jewish form of meditation, it is one of the simplest. As in general meditation, it consists in repeating a word or a phrase over and over, usually for a period of half an hour each day. The most important element of the meditation is that it be done daily and that there be a commitment to continue the practice for a period of at least a month. It usually takes between thirty and forty days for the results of this type of meditation to become manifest.

Jewish Meditation

Jewish Meditation / zie boek

~Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan 

In the previous chapters, we have discussed the discipline of meditation in general. Before we can understand Jewish meditation, we must first have a good idea of the nature of meditation in its broadest sense. The phenomenology and psychology of Jewish meditation are not particularly different from those of other systems. The goals and results, however, are often very different.

There is ample evidence that meditative practices were widespread among Jews throughout Jewish history. References to meditation are found in major Jewish texts in every period from the biblical to the premodern era. One reason that this has not been universally recognized is that the vocabulary of meditation has been lost to a large degree, especially during the last century. Until the rise of the Jewish Enlightenment, mysticism and intellectualism had equal status within Judaism. The ostensible goal of the Enlightenment, however, was to raise the intellectual level of Judaism, and positive as this may have been, it was often done at the expense of other Jewish values. The first values to fall by the wayside were Jewish mysticism in general and meditation in particular. Anything that touched upon the mystical was denigrated as superstition and occultism and was deemed unworthy of serious study.

Even Kabbalah, which contains mysticism par excellence, was reduced to simply an intellectual exercise; its deeper meanings were totally lost. In earlier chapters we discussed how many phenomena experienced in a meditative state cannot be understood rationally. This premise was not recognized by the nineteenth- century rationalists, and even the ineffable became the subject of philosophical discussion.

For this and other reasons, all references to meditation vanished from mainstream Jewish literature about 150 years ago. This is true even in Chasidic literature, where meditation initially played a central role. Because of this antimystical trend, even Kabbalistic works published after around 1840 show a surprising lack of even the slightest mention of meditation. After a century of indifference, even the meanings of key words were forgotten.

States of Consciousness

Jewish Meditation / zie boek

~Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan 

Most discussions of meditation speak of higher states of consciousness that can be attained through the practice. For the initiate these states of consciousness may be familiar, but for the outsider they are extremely difficult even to imagine. Much has been written about higher states of consciousness, but the discussion usually concludes with a statement that these states are indescribable and ineffable. There is an important reason that such experiences are indescribable. In the case of objective, external phenomena, a group of people can agree on words to describe them. This is how language in general is constructed. Thus, two people can look at a rose and agree that it is red. Since they are both seeing the same rose, they both have a common experience of which they can speak.

However, when people try to discuss personal experiences in higher states of consciousness, the experiences are entirely internal. I have no way of knowing what is in your mind, so even if you try to describe it, I have no way of being sure of what you mean. Furthermore, since the experiences are internal and individual, it is difficult for people to find a common ground to develop a descriptive vocabulary. Vocabulary is based on shared experi ences, and by definition, internal experiences are difficult if not impossible to share.

For example, let us assume that while in a meditative state, I saw in my mind a color that has no counterpart in the external world. Suppose it was totally different from any other color and impossible to describe in terms of other colors. How could I even begin to describe what the color looked like? There would be no words in human vocabulary to describe it. The same is true of many meditative experiences. This fact makes it extremely difficult to develop an epistemology of the meditative state. One ends up trying to describe experiences for which no language exists. This may be true, but since one of the aims of meditation is to reach higher states of consciousness, we should at least have some idea what this means. The problem is that higher states of consciousness are not only difficult to describe, but also difficult to define. There appears to be no objective epistemology through which one can know for sure that one is in a state of consciousness different from the everyday waking state. Nevertheless, on the basis of subjective experiences and reports, it is possible to gain some understanding of these states of consiousness.

Techniques

Jewish Meditation / zie boek

~Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan 

At this point it would be useful to discuss and classify the various meditative techniques, both Jewish and non-Jewish. The techniques of almost all meditative systems can be classified in similar ways; this does not imply any special relationship between Jewish and non-Jewish meditation. Rather, since a general concept of meditation exists, all forms have characteristics in common, which in turn can be used to classify various techniques.

The situation is analogous to that of prayer, which is important in all religious traditions. Certain elements are characteristic of all prayer. This does not mean that one system of prayer is derived from another, or even that a relationship exists between the systems. Rather, the similarities stem from the fact that there are a limited number of basic ways of relating to God, and these will be found in prayer wherever it exists. Thus, almost every prayer can fit into one of three categories: praise, petition, and thanksgiving. We can praise God and speak of His greatness. We can petition God and ask Him to provide us with the things we need and want. Finally, we can thank God for what He has given us. In Jewish prayer, these three divisions are formalized and follow a set sequence. Nevertheless, if we were to examine prayers of all the world's faiths, we would find that with few exceptions they would all fall into one of the three categories

The same is true of meditation. There are a finite number of ways in which a person can interact with his own mind, and these form the categories of all meditation. Thus, when one understands meditation in general, one can then understand Jewish meditation in particular. Since meditation involves subtle experiences that may be unfamiliar to many readers, I shall begin with a mundane example.

I have defined meditation as a controlled manner of thinking. On the simplest level, you can decide to sit down for the next half hour and just think about one particular subject. Let's say you decide that for the next half hour you will think about rearranging your furniture. In your mind's eye, you might imagine how various arrangements would look and even plan how to move the heavier pieces. During that half hour, you will have been meditating on furniture arrangement. It is as simple as that. There need not be anything esoteric or mysterious about meditation. No special surroundings are required, nor must any particular body position be assumed. You could have meditated while walking around the block, while sitting back in your easy chair, or while relaxing in the tub. The very fact that for a specific time period you were thinking about a specific topic rather than letting your mind wander at random makes it a meditative experience.

Of course, it is not always that easy. What do you do when other thoughts begin to creep into the mind? Remember that the decision was to think about arranging furniture and nothing else. If this meditation is actually going to be a controlled thinking experience, then you will need a technique to rid yourself of undesired thoughts. You might gently push the extraneous thoughts out of your mind or otherwise pull your mind back to the desired subject. Whatever method you use to keep your mind on the subject, in doing so you will be developing the rudiments of a full-fledged meditative technique. Meditation on rearranging your furniture may be a trivial example. But suppose you decided to spend a half hour meditating on how to rearrange your life. You might find yourself thinking about fundamental questions such as these:

What do I ultimately want out of life? 
What gives my life meaning? 
What is the meaning of life in general? 
If I had my life to live over, what would I do with it? 
What ideals, if any, would I be willing to die for? 
What would bring me more happiness than anything else in the world?

Why Meditate?

Jewish Meditation / zie boek

~Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan 

Meditation, which is thought directed by will, can bring many benefits. Most people learn how to think as very young children, and throughout their adult lives, they do not think any than they did as children. That is to say, most people use their minds in a manner not essentially different from the way they did when they were six years old. Through meditation, one can control the thought process and learn to think in new ways, thus gaining new and richer mind experiences. It is significant that in Kabbalah, one's normal mode of thinking is referred to as the "mentality of childhood" (mochin de-katnuth). More advanced modes of thought and states of consciousness, on the other hand, are referred to as the "mentality of adulthood" (mochin de-gadluth). One learns these methods of "adult thought" through meditation, through which one develops the ability to transcend the ways of thinking one learned as a child.

In chapter 1, for example, we discussed how different parts of the mind act independently. Thus, a person might want to concentrate on a task at hand, but at the same time other concerns pop into his mind, disturbing his concentration. While one part of the mind is trying to focus on a problem, other parts may be drawing attention to different ideas. As long as this is true, concentration is not complete.

For this reason, a person usually uses only a small portion of the mind. As much as he might try to concentrate on a thought or task, parts of his mind are engaged in other activities. Sometimes the rest of the mind is merely passive. At other times however, other parts of the mind may actually be acting in opposition to one's concentration. Unless one is able to control the entire mind, one cannot develop full concentration. People often think of concentration in terms of problem-solving.
It can also involve the most basic of experiences. Suppose, for example, that you are trying to experience the beauty of a rose. At the same time, thoughts about your business may be pushing their way into your mind. Your attention does not stay focused on the rose and you cannot see the rose totally, in all its beauty.

But there is another factor that prevents you from experiencing the rose completely. Earlier, we discussed the spontaneous images that arise in the field of vision when the eyes are closed. Actually, you can also see these images with your eyes open in a darkened room. Once you are aware of these images, you can even see them with your eyes open in a well-lit room. The reason you are normally not aware of these images is that they are very faint compared with the images entering your mind from your open eyes. Nevertheless, they are constantly with you.

Now suppose you are trying to appreciate the beauty of a rose. No matter how hard you try to focus your mind on the rose, the image of the rose is competing with the self-generated images in the mind. It is as if there were a screen of extraneous imagery between you and the rose, preventing you from seeing it with total clarity.

In a meditative state, however, it is possible to turn off the interference and concentrate totally on the rose. As we shall see, with training, one can turn off the spontaneous self-generated images and thus remove the screen. The beauty of the flower when seen in these higher states of awareness is indescribable to someone who has never experienced it. The most I can say is that the rose actually appears to radiate beauty. This can be true of anything else in the world.

Another important goal of meditation is thus enhanced awareness and perception. The greater the portion of the mind focused on an experience, the more the experience will be enhanced. When every cell in your brain is tuned in to experiencing the rose, the experience is indescribably different from what you would see in your usual state of consciousness. This works in one of two ways. The most simple way in which meditation works is to quiet down all parts of the mind not concentrating on the immediate experience. In this mode, the experience is not enhanced directly, but rather all interference with it is removed. Thus, you may be looking at the rose with no greater awareness than before, but without the mental static, it will appear much more vivid. It is somewhat like trying to tune in to a faint radio station; even if you cannot amplify the volume, you will hear the station more clearly if you can eliminate the static. This mode of meditation can be reached through most meditative techniques and is the state of consciousness most readily attainable in its lower levels.

What is Meditation?

Jewish Meditation / zie boek

~Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan 

What is meditation? For someone who has been involved in the practice, the question need not be asked. For a person who has never had any contact with meditation, however, the subject is shrouded in mystery. To many people, the term "meditation" suggests an image of someone sitting in the lotus position with eyes closed in serene concentration. Others may associate meditation with holiness and spirituality. Individuals seeking spirituality might look into various disciplines of meditation without

having any idea of what they are looking for.

In its most general sense, meditation consists of thinking in a controlled manner. It is deciding exactly how one wishes to direct the mind for a period of time, and then doing it. In theory this may sound very easy, but in practice it is not. The human mind is not a domesticated animal, but rather seems to have a mind of its own beyond the will of the thinker. Anyone who has ever tried to concentrate on a subject, only to have his mind drift to other thoughts, is aware of this. Sometimes it seems that the more one tries to control one's thoughts, the more they refuse to be controlled. 

It is strange that most people have never given a thought to their thoughts. Thoughts are so much part of our being that we take them for granted. One of the first steps in meditation is learning how not to take our thoughts for granted.